“They used to say, win on Saturday and lose on Sunday”, Mary Aloe continued. “Meaning, enjoy your Spirit because you are not getting an Oscar now.” “What about last year,” an Aloe Entertainment team member asked? “Well, every year, that saying is less and less true, Mary Aloe smiled. Of the five nominees for Best Feature at the Spirits, four of them — Boyhood, Birdman, Selma and Whiplash — were up for Best Picture at the Oscars.

“Remember, 12 Years A Slave won last year and The Artist got many awards in 2011,” Mary Aloe explained. An Aloe Entertainment team member jumped in, “But the Spirits don’t cast the same wide net of contenders. Your picture must be budgeted at less than $20 million, right?” Mary Aloe confirmed, “Yes, but don’t use that to discount the continued connection that the Spirit’s are more and more becoming the dress rehearsal, you might say, for the Oscars and sometimes, the Golden Globes, though the Hollywood Foreign Press tends to honor the more well known, where the spotlight is already shining.”

“Still, watch out for more and more influence from the Independent Spirit Awards to the Academy Awards, especially as the studios invest more in the tent pole film,” Mary Aloe ended with before dashing out to her next appointment and quite possibly the beginning of an Aloe Entertainment project that proves her point.

The Aloe Entertainment team discussed the correlation between the award honored actor and the box office. “Very little for the actor, though probably a slight bump for a film”, says Mary Aloe. “If you are an actor, enjoy the nom or win of your Oscar or Golden Globe, but don’t expect more phone calls or more money. The correlation always come from the box office mojo of your last film or last few film and the international marketplace.”

It’s a question asked almost every year, but never changes. Mary Aloe points out, “You can be the apple of the industry’s eye for a bit, like Octavia Spencer was a few years ago; a great recognition for her performance, but the plum roles didn’t pop up very quickly afterwards. Same with Reese Witherspoon or Cuba Gooding, Jr. or … the list goes on, even today.” The Aloe Entertainment team wondered about the effect on the movie grosses.

According to the BoxOfficeQuant data, a Best Director win can bring an extra $11 million in revenue, though a Best Actress nod is worth maybe $2.3 million and a Best Actor statue is worth only slightly more than $1 million. Mary Aloe continued, “The Best Supporting Actor and Actress Oscars essentially have zero box-office impact.” “What about a Best Picture nod or the Golden Globe for a picture,” asked a member of the Aloe Entertainment team? “Awareness from a nom or win can help in marketing and b.o. success, but not necessarily,” Mary warned. Below is a chart from boxofficemojo.com for last year’s bumps, that vary from 0 – 90%.

The team at Aloe Entertainment asked producer Mary Aloe about using tax credits and incentives. “Yes, excellent question,” Mary began. “Almost every state in the union, including the District of Columbia and many areas of Canada, including Toronto and Vancouver, have very generous tax credits and incentives to include pre or post production and filming in their territory. Aloe Entertainment has used these beneifts for the betterment of our projects.”

“Georgia and Louisiana are the most generous right now”, says Mary Aloe. Georgia’s incentives include: 20% transferable tax credit + 10% if production includes Georgia promotional logo in credits, or other negotiated placements, $500,000 minimum spend through single or multi-projects in single year, compensation included for non-residents, $500,000 cap; however, PSC, loan out or 1099 contractor not subject to cap. Recent filming in Georgia is the new Tom Cruise film, MENA; the new Tina Fey comedy; and the TV show, THE WALKING DEAD. One of the Aloe Entertainment team piped up, noticing, “Louisiana had FANTASTIC FOUR and the new JURASSIC PARK movies, plus a Clooney movie and THE BIG SHORT with Pitt, Gosling, and Bale.” The Louisiana credits and incentives include: 30% transferable credit for in-state expenditures (Louisiana vendor), above-the-line resident and non-resident labor costs qualify, additional 5% credit for the first $1 million of each Louisiana resident’s payroll, $300,000 minimum spend, no annual or per production cap, tax credits can be certified and eligible for transfer after $300,000 spend, but before production ends, tax credits can be certified and eligible for transfer twice for free, then $250 for each additional certification, credits can be redeemed with the State at 85% face value, and credits can be used to offset corporate or individual Louisiana tax liability. The Aloe Entertainment team and Mary Aloe think tax credits are vital to an independent film budget or any film budget.

“These are but a few of the advantages to producing your film in various states, including California, and in Canada to optimize the use of your budget and make the best movie possible,” Mary Aloe said in closing to her Aloe Entertainment team.

Mary Aloe was recently discussing how Hollywood has had a brown out (pun intended) in producing and marketing for the Hispanic audience. She told her team at Aloe Entertainment, “Whether using Latino actors, writers, directors, or producers or bringing Hispanic stories to the screen, both big and small, the Latin community has been undeserved.”

Recent research from the Nielsen people show that Hispanics accounted for at least 20 percent of opening weekend ticket sales for every hit last summer. “That is a lot of tickets to be sold; not to mention the rich culture from which we could mine some wonderful stories and talent,”Mary Aloe continues to her Aloe Entertainment team. “Our production slate includes two projects that do just that - Mary and Mama’s Boy.”

Mama’s Boy (click here for trailer - code: Speedy) is a reality series about Noel “Speedy” Mercado. He’s a 40-something virgin looking for love!. Speedy is a star of the #1 Hispanic morning radio show in America and has millions of fans. Hard to believe, Speedy still lives with his mama in the old Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up. Most of the guys he knew are long married. Everyone, especially mama, tells him it’s time to settle down, but Speedy has yet to find the right girl. Mary Aloe mentioned that she is producing, along with her ABK Entertainment, a subsidary of Aloe Entertainment partners, Vito Bruno and Scott Kushner, as well as with Ish Entertainment.

Mary is the other project I want to mention in regards to the Hispanic talent we are proud to have connected to us at Aloe Entertainment,”Mary Aloe said. “Not only are we fortunate to have Eduardo Verástegui as one our producers, but our director and many shooting locations are both from Mexico. Mother Mary is a very prominent source of comfort in the religious and spiritual practices of the Latin audience. The Pew Research Center reported that 68% of Hispanics are Catholic and devoted to Mother Mary. “That’s one of the reasons we are so excited about projects like Mary, which reach out to a global audience both in story and the talent used in creating this project,” Mary Aloe said in closing.

Mary Aloe has found that there are riches found in not only using the stories and culture of the Hispanic people, but the vast talent. Think filmmakers like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Miguel Arteta, Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Robert Rodriguez; cinematographers like Claudio Miranda and Emanuel Lubezki; actors like Andy Garci, Javier Bardem, Zoe Saldana or Selma Hayek; television producer and innovator Desi Arnaz; and stories about Frida Kahlo, Che Gueverra – to name a very small example. All are either in Academy Award winning films or those that have done well at the box office or in the TV ratings world. The brown out is over and Aloe Entertainment is proud to be a part of it.

Box Office Mojo is an online movie publication and box office reporting service. Our purpose is to illuminate the movies through the integration of art and business. Based in Burbank, California, we produce news, analysis and the most comprehensive box office tracking available online.Box Office Mojo was created by movie analyst Brandon Gray in 1999 and has since grown into the No. 1 box office destination worldwide, currently averaging over 2 million unique visitors per month. Box Office Mojo is regularly quoted in such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Bloomberg, Forbes and has been featured on CNN, CNBC, Access Hollywood and Fox News among other television broadcasts.Box Office Mojo was acquired by IMDb.com, Inc. in July 2008.

As you can see from the description above, they are now owned by IMDB, which is owned by Amazon – all powerful sources of important information. Box Office Mojo provides movie news, a daily update chart of the grosses, a weekend chart, an all-time chart, and an international chart. “Whether you need to know what “Gone With the Wind” has made in the last 70+ years or last week’s blockbuster, the information is there, as well as on their sister site, IMDB,” explains Mary Aloe. A member of the Aloe Entertainment team speaks up, “I am on the site now. There are pages dedicated to actors, genres, movie franchises….this is amazing. Information you can’t easily get elsewhere.”

The Aloe Entertainment team is dedicated to both the creative and the business end of a movie project. They will keep up on their newest projects when The Ranch, Tiger, Mary, and 55 Stepsare released; just like they do with previously released films. “Don’t just wait for the check to show up,” says Mary, “know what’s going to show up. This is important for all producers and production companies. You will also be able to market and budget more wisely when you have historical, as well as, current information. Producing with all the mojo you can muster is the key.”

The annual film festival, there are 3,000 of them, can play a vital role it getting attention for your film. “You will get reviewed, press, awards, and buzz going around your movie”, says producer Mary Aloe. There are 50 top festivals in the world today, that are ‘must tries’. But that can be a costly and time consuming enterprise. Mary Aloe had a dialogue with her team at Aloe Entertainment and they came up with some ground rules on choosing a festival to enter.

Location, location, location

Awards offered

Prestige of the festival

Rules and restrictions of the festival

Distribution possibilities

Press possibilities

How much do I have to spend (entry fees, travel, lodging, meals, parties)

“And once you choose one or more festivals to enter, says Mary Aloe, “decisions like hiring a press agent, building a website, and getting all the marketing materials (brochures, pamphlets, posters, sizzle reels, etc.) together become crucial, possibly expensive, and time-consuming.” One of the Aloe Entertainment team added, “Then there’s all the networking, which parties to attend decisions, meetings and screening invites to coordinate. Not to mention the post festival work of thank you notes, gathering and distributing all the latest news, press clippings and pictures - someone has to take pictures - in social media, etc.; and any post festival screenings you might need to attract attention from distributors, etc.”

Making lists and budgets are essential. Most festivals are in March, April, June, September, October, and November and cost an average of $40 to enter. You can find a nice list of festivals at FilmFestivals.com. Most use WithoutABox.com for entry, but Mary suggests you go to the website of the individual festival to be sure. Submit early with a finished product. Be sure to check the rules, as each festival has unique requirements.

You’ve got two minutes to impress people to share, click, hit, talk about, tweet about, post about, and ultimately buy a ticket or two or 10 to your movie. “It doesn’t matter if you are a micro-budget DIY-er or a multi-million dollar studio,” Mary Aloe recently shared, “those two minutes can make or break your movie and, maybe, your career.” The team at Aloe Entertainment knows the importance of creating, editing, and marketing those two minutes is vital to the shelf life of a movie. Here are tips they believe will help you create the best first impression of your project. Find the:

Best reviews, festival information or awards your project has received

Possible use of narration to tell your story

“In a world….”“Once upon a time…”

Great music from your movie or outside sources

“Remember,” says Mary Aloe, “you are creating excitement. It doesn’t matter if it is a sweet romantic piece, a thrill-a-minute action film, a jump-out-of-your-seat scary picture or a goofy comedy. Your trailer must zizzle with the film’s tone, breadth, pace, and genre, and have a flow very similar to the three act structure of your movie.” The Aloe Entertainment team goes into the movie finding moments, scenes, and even stills that inform the moviegoer all the elements of the above bullet list. Mary Aloe added, “It’s like producing another movie, only two minutes long.”